B.A. Steinhagen Draw Down...

 One our our local lakes, a place I have spent some time hiking and canoeing the past several years, B. A. Steinhagen lake or Dam B as it was known , has had a drawdown to repair structures at the Town Bluff Dam site. I think refilling has begun in preparation for similar activities on my home lake of Sam Rayburn which is located upstream. I noted on the trip over that there seemed to be no generation on the river but the parking lot was full of boats on a Monday morning. I enjoy fishing low water situations and apparently I would guess angling good on the river right now. On my return the river was flowing meaning the Rayburn Dam was generating. 

At a spot half way between the end of the foot trail bridge on the right and the colorful cypress tree on left I have caught world class bream. This photo is made from the canoe launch and it's so close that my son Morgan once said, "it seems like cheating to paddle out no further than this." I don't really see any features to explain why the fish are there but they like it.   

I think these birds feeding on the exposed mud flats are long billed curlews and white ibises. Here's a little science for those that believe in such:

Bird bills adapt them to certain kinds of feeding creating each on a niche so that competition for food is dispersed and every kind of bird is not trying to eat the same thing. 

You probably won't have these on your backyard feeder.   

A little over a year ago I joined a guided canoe paddle that crossed here and came out on the Neches River. 

I have caught the most fish along here on the left hand bank. I was usually morning fishing. Maybe I should try evening when the right bank is shaded. 

We hiked the Wildlife Trail in Martin Dies Jr. State Park. It comes out on the road and by the time we returned to the truck we had covered 2 miles. The white feathers Luc collected in the forest seemed to be from something other than the shore birds but without collecting one for examination I'm not sure. I am sure the bird ended up as some critter's dinner.  

Luca saw this hiking trail marker and said, "That's me." 

We came out of the woods here and sat for a rest and a snack while we watched a deer cross the dry streambed.  

I'll use this photo on social media to advance the legend that I live off the land. 

I texted this photo of scat seen in the woods to several experts and the consensus came back "coyote" or "watch what Luca eats a little closer please." 

On our recent camping trip we spent evenings swimming here with the water at the buoys about 4 to 5 feet. Buoys look 5 or 10 years from the water now.  

Town Bluff Dam site. I have driven closer to the dam but closed now with the work ongoing. 

While we usually use the State Park we did check out the Corps of Engineer Sandy Creek Park and I noted a possible good canoe area with what seemed to be a flowing creek and some shady campsites for our next local getaway. We did not check the Magnolia Ridge Park as Luca fell asleep and being recently potty trained I did not want to push my luck and have a coyote incident.